Inspiration for Leaders

Enjoy this news and reflection blog brought to you from the LHRIC Technology Leadership Institute!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

TLI Event 12/10 - Cheryl Lemke; The Metri Group

Cheryl addressed the group today on the concept of innovation. Innovation defined by industry talk about creativity and new thinking but it becomes an innovation when it is integrated in to a culture and adopted through a "ripple effect" as a new innovation.

http://www.metrigroup.com/presentations

Today she looks at the ripple effect around innovation. What are the windows of opportunity for innovation?

In the past to learn you took a class, today there is a shift to a more shared environment for learning. There has always been a balance between formal and informal learning but today there is a shift. Some powerful content that needs to be tapped in to:

2. GlobalizationIn your 21st century classroom, is multi-media truly available for all students or only those that have teachers that are proficient in multimedia.

Digital storytelling is a very powerful way to tell a story and it is the adolescent childs' media - why not give it to them? Here are some ideas to think about as we look at the democratization of knowledge:

Are your students;More curious leaving school then when they arrive?Are they adept at Learning?Informed consumers? Skeptics?Thinkers and analyzers?Producers with their own voices?

Global Meeting Places

While looking at whether our students are ready, also ask if our teachers and assessments ready for students who are able to create digital stories?

3. Mass Collaboration

Most companies are small businesses and are now outsourcing R&D on the web various challenges for innovative thinkers to respond to.

When students have access and using visualization tools results increase dramatically when assessing student learning.

What do you think?

Is it malpractice when teachers do not use digital tools to enhance knowledge?A. NoB. YesC. Yes, but....

If yes, who is culpable? Is it the leaders or the teachers?

Would "lack of access to information" be an acceptable excuse for your doctor?Is the standard similar or even comparable?

4. Engagement matters

Flow - when you are in the moment, in your game, really learning, time stands still.

Kids should be in flow at least some of the time.

To get kids in to flow we need to balance the complexity of the task with the skill level of the skill. If the task is too high for the skill - students will be frustrated. If skill is high and task is low - students will be bored. If the task is just ahead of the skill - students are engaged.

Are you born smart or dumb or can you develop IQ?

Attribution Research- Dr. Carol DweckInstitute of Education Sciences

Learning Designed to Engage

Content - Are you introducing content in ways that are relevant to the interest levels of your students? Are you able to connect content to prior knowledge of your students? Do students have choice?Process - Are your classrooms intellectually safe? Can students take risks and feel safe with their exploration? Is there an opportunity to work with an affiliate or other group?

Product - Is there a product? Products related to standards with authentic tasks?5. Authentic Learning

1. Must have relevancy beyond the classroom 2. Kids must do something with what they learn 3. Ask intellectually stimulating questions about the content.

6. Visual Learning

From TED website - Visual Investigations

Hans Rosling - Explorations of Western World and Third WorldUsing visual tools for graphing, animated - is it a better way for students to track trends and patterns related to demographics and socio economic changes and discuss change and effects.

7. 21st Century LeadershipHiring people know for what they know but their ability to see and tap in to the unknown and unseen. Ability to built collaborative teams.

Finally - A roadmap

Today's Challenges>Research on Critical Thinking, Collaborations, Leadership>District, School & Classroom Practices>Assessments>Tomorrow's Students will be educated for the 21st century.

A school in Seattle - set examples of model classrooms (Classroom 1, 5 and 10) as a way for teachers to see the difference in these classrooms and what the lessons look like as a comparative model to demonstrate the difference form 20th and 21st century classrooms.